Category: Smithsonian’s National Zoo Stories

After twenty seven posts for this lovely and enriching zoo, it is time to purchase our adoption package from the Smithsonian’s National Zoo website.  Every habitat at the National Zoo is thoughtfully constructed for the natural lifestyle of its inhabitants and we have been impressed by the care of the animals and connection with their… Continue reading Choosing Our Symbolic Adoption, #Smithsoniannationalzoo, Washington DC

We are almost ready to choose our species to sponsor for symbolic adoption, but we have a few more habitats to visit and some blogs to post before we make our donation. At the end of the day the Great Ape House is busy with visitors who are enjoying the antics of the gorillas.  Some… Continue reading Most Popular, #Smithsoniannationalzoo, Washington DC

A radio call was the most definitive clue for a wildlife siting when we were on safari in Africa. Upon receiving the call, our drivers would scramble to reach the location of the siting before the animals fled the scene.  We had to hold onto our hats for a high speed race, on bumpy dirt… Continue reading Roar, #Smithsoniannationalzoo, Washington DC

  We never know what animals we will see when we explore the zoo’s habitats.  We did not know which animals we would encounter when we went on safari in Africa, either.  Sometimes our safari guides watched for circling birds to alert them to a location to scout for wildlife.  Here, at the zoo, finding… Continue reading Four Tiers, #Smithsoniannationalzoo, Washington DC

The Kids Zoo is closed on this cold day in mid-March, but we  sneak a peek at the farm animals in the exhibit as we meander along the path.  Here, children can meet and learn about chickens, donkeys, pigs, cows, goats and alpacas.  Today, the animals are relaxing in the grass near the barn.  The… Continue reading Missing the Kids, #Smithsoniannationalzoo, Washington DC

  We encounter a friendly Roseate Spoonbill at the zoo’s Amazon Rainforest habitat.  I write this blog to share my adventures as a visiting veterinarian to the zoo and research the website to learn more about Roseate Spoonbills. This beautiful bird is found in parts of South America and also parts of the United States,… Continue reading Similar Points, #Smithsoniannationalzoo, Washington DC

We enter a warm greenhouse filled with the lush vegetation of Amazon Rainforest.  It is summer year-round in the Amazon, but there is a rainy season, with increased rainfall and flooding of the river— and a dry season, when it rains less.  When Dr. Chas and I visited the Amazon Basin of Peru during the dry… Continue reading A Pivot on the Path, #Smithsoniannationalzoo, Washington DC

We leave the American Trail to enter Amazonia.  Here, we enjoy browsing through a heated building on this cold March day.   Our first stop is a huge aquarium, where we encounter species that live in the Amazon River.  Here, Laura has a moment with an Arapaima—the largest freshwater fish in the World—who is curious… Continue reading Having a Moment, #Smithsoniannationalzoo, Washington DC

I joined the Sustainability committee while teaching at our local college to brainstorm the welfare of future generations of people.  But, wildlife also depends on the sustainability of natural resources.  Sometimes I pause and reflect on how far the world has come since my grandparents time.  My grandparents could not have imagined the depleted fish… Continue reading Sustainability, #Smithsoniannationalzoo, Washington DC